Valve structure



F. H. MUELLER 2,321,233

VALVE STRUCTURE Original Filed July 29, 1940- June 3, 1943.

2 Shasta-Sheet 1 74 Int e ni'or: 77:2,

June 8, 1943.. i- MUELLER 2,321,233

VALVE STRUCTURE [or inal Filed July 29, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I yiillll"I l r/ YMM Z4 Inqen-Zor:

' imam. 1H. ueller;

,it'orneys.

Patented June 8,1943

UNITED STATES: PATENT OFFICE.

VALVE STRUCTURE Frank H. Mueller, Decatur, 1ll., assignor to Mueller00., Decatur, Ill., a corporation of 11- linois Original applicationJuly 348,249, now Patent No.

29, 1940, Serial No. 2,289,721, dated July 14, 1942. Divided andthisapplication March 15, 1941, Serial No. 383,626

6 Claims. (CL 251-93) The'present invention relates to valve structures,and, more particularly, to ground key stops, the application being adivision of my original application for Valve structures, Serial .No.348,249, filed July 29, 1940, now Patent 2,289,721,

granted July 14, 1942.

An object of the invention is to provide a valve structure of suchdesign that the valve element will be urged to proper seated position bythe line pressure.

Another object of the invention is to .provide a lubricated valveincluding improved form of lu- 7 Ring 4| may be locked in place by meansof a set bricating passages and which is fully sealed I against escapeOf pressure.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through a valve structure;

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view on the line 2- 2 of Figure l;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a lubricant pressure cut-off devicewhich may be used in the valve;

Figure 4 is a perspective view, with a portion cut away, of the valvebody; a

screw 42, as shown in Figure l. r

The flat inner surface of handle 40 is provided with a diametrical rib43 which is semi-cylindrical in shape. Rib 43 bears against the uppersurface of the sealing diaphragm 38 while the outer end of the plugshank 34 bears against the undersurface of the diaphragm. The outer endof shank 34 is provided with a .pair or diametrically opposed recessesor notches 44 of suflicient depth axially of the plug to accommodate theFigure 5 is a perspective view of the assembled valve element and valvebody, with portions cut away;

Figure dis a central vertical section of a modified form of valvestructure, and

Figure '7 is a transverse sectional view on the line l-l of Figure 6.

Referring to Figures 1 to 5, the numeral 20 designates a valve body orcasing element provided with a flow passageway 2i and a transverselyarranged tapered seat 22. Seat 22 opens at its larger end to a chamber23 closed by a threaded cap 24, with an interposed gasket 25. Thesmaller end of the tapered seat opens to a chamber or reces 26,

A valve element or plug is positioned in the tapered seat 22, the valveelement including a transverse or radial flow .port 3| which opens atthe-larger end of the plug through an opening 33 to the chamber 23 atthat end of the valve body. At its smaller end plug 30 is provided witha shank 34 which is axially bored as indicated at 35, this port beingclosed by an impulse member comprising a cup-shaped rubber diaphragm 36having'i-ts edges clamped by a threaded collar 31 which engages internalthreads in the outer and eoimtersunk end of bore 35. v

' The chamber 26 at the smaller end of the valve thickness of diaphragm38 and also a suflicient depth of rib 43 to cause the plug to be turnedwhen the handle 43 is turned.

Thus, when the handle 40 is rotated, and as described in myabove-mentioned original application, the side surfaces at the ends ofthe rib 43 will ride'up along the less steeply inclined notch 44, withthe result that the plug will be urg'edaxially of the valve body 20-tobe unseated to a limited extent and then the .plug will be given aturning movement, being held slightly unseated until turning iscompleted.

, The line pressure within the port 31 of the plu will also act upwardlyagainst the cup-shaped diaphragm 35 to actupon a body of greasecontained within that diaphragm and chamber 26 at the vsmaller end ofthe tapered seat. Grease in this chamber will be forced through passagesor ports which, as best shownin Figure 4, extend from the inner shoulder5| of chamber 26 to pockets 52 positioned in the seat 22 of the valvebody element at a point spaced axially from shoulder 6|. Four suchpassages 50 and pockets 52 are provided substantially equi-distantlyspaced about the seat 22 forming one face of the seating surface of thevalve structure, and the" walls of the pockets 52 opposite to the innerends of the passages 50 open to grooves 53 extendinglongitudinally ofthe seating surface 22 but terminating at a point spaced from the largeren of the .plug 30.

Flow of grease through the passages 50 from chamber 26 is controlled bya cut-oil washerj55 of the construction best shownin Figure 3 dis-"closed in the application of FrankH. Mueller and .Walter J. Bowan forLubricated 'val've serial No.

312,788, filed January 6, i940 and comprising a metal plate 56 ofsubstantially annular form "prd strips 58 will not overlie thesepassages.

vided with integral depending lugs 51. The lugs 51 are arranged in pairsand are adapted to retain an arcuate strip 58 of resilient material,such as rubber, which is of greater axial depth than the depth of thelugs so that the outward surface of the strips 58 will project past theends of the lugs. The cut-off washer 58 is adapted to surround the shank34 of plug 30 which is flattened at diametrically opposite points, asshown in Figure 2, to interfit with flattened surfaces 6| on the washeraperture (Figure 3) so that the washer will rotate with the plug. Thewasher is held in place on the shank 31 by means of a collar 62 threadedca the outer surface of the shank. As shown in Figure 2, washer 56 isflattened on two sides, as indicated at 63, in order to permit grease tomove from the upper portion of chamber 28 past the washer to reach thevalve body passages 50.

As is illustrated in Figure 2, when the plug 30 is in closed position,the passages 58 will be open to the grease chamber 26 because the rubberThe lugs 51 on washer 55 will be above the mouths of the passages 50,but these lugs will not be in contact with the shoulder because they areof lessdepth than the rubber strips 58. Hence the pressure of the fluidentrapped within the valve plug will be acting upon the cup-shapeddiaphragm 35 to maintain a sealing pressure of grease in thelongitudinal grooves 53.

When the plug 38 is rotated in a counter-clockwise direction as viewedin Figure 2 for the purpose of bringing its flow passage 3| intoalignment with the flow passage 2| of the valve element 20, theadvancing edges of the resilient strips 58 will immediately close themouths of the passages 58 designated A in Figure 2, these being thepassages which directly communicate with the longitudinal grooves 53past which the plug port 3| will move during such turning movement ofthe .plug. As a result, the pressure of grease in the chamber 26 willnot act upon these two grooves 53 at the time that the plug is beingrotated. When the plug reaches closed position after a movement of 90,all of the passages 59 will be open to chamber 26.

As has been heretofore described, the initial action of turning theoperating handle 48- to rotate plug 39 will cause the advancing edges ofrib 43 to act through therubber diaphragm 38 to move the plug axiallytoward the larger end of the seat 22-. However, before the rib 43 canclimb up upon the edge of shank 31, the plug will rotate. Thisconstruction permits the plug to be initially moved axially in its seatupon any turn-. ing movement. The sealing diaphragm 38 prevents leakageof fluid from the valve and simultaneously enables turning pressure tobe transmitted from the handle 48 to the plug 39 with the use of anoperating handle separate from the plug. The use of a diaphragm for aseal at this point obviously provides a more eflicient seal than awasher. Because of the rounded form of rib 43 and the tapered form ofthe notches 43 in the plug shank 34, the diaphragm,38 will not becomeworn, even after repeated turning of the plug.

The arrangement whereby pressure is transmitted from the line throughthe diaphragm 35 to the grease chamber 28 is particularly economical inmanufacture, in that it requires no special machining of the plug orvalve body.

Referring to Figures 6 and 7, these illustrate a valve body elementprovided with a tapered seat II and a flow passageway 12, the larger endof the tapered seat ll opening to a chamber 13 closed by a cap 14 withan interposed washer 15. The smaller end of the seat H opens to achamber I8.

The valve element or plug 11 is provided with a transverse or radialflow port 18. The shank .19 at the smaller end of plug." isnotched atdiametrically opposite points, as described in my above-mentionedoriginal application, to receive a transverse pin 8i moving in thechamber 16 and adapted to abut against stop shoulders 82 formed in thatchamber after 90 movement of the plug. The shank 19 contains anotherpair of diametrically opposite notches 83 which are relatively shallowandare provided with inner walls of shallow V-shaped and concave form toreceive a rib 84 "on the underside of an operating handle 85. A seal isprovided about handle 85 by washer 85a.

Hence when handle 85 is turned, it may move circumferentially a slightdistance before contacting with the side walls of the notch 83, and

during such initial movement its inner beveled end will act upon thecorrespondingly tapered inner edge of notch 83 to move the plug 11axially of the seat 7 I. This arrangement, like the correspondingarrangement of Figure 1, enables the plug to be moved from a seizedposition. A spring l'la at the largerv end of the plug will return thelatter to normal position when turning is completed.

The seating surface 88 of the valve element or plug ll, which surfaceforms one face of the seata pair of oppositely disposed longitudinallyextending passageways 89 which are of shorter length than the seatingsurface H of the valve body element and plug but of suflicient length toextend past the flow port 12. The grooves 89 communicate adjacent thelarger end of the plug with radial passages 90 which open to a centralrecess 9| in the plug. Recess 9| contains an outwardly facingcup-shaped'diaphragm or impulse member 92 secured in place by a threadedring 93 so that the outer surface of diaphragm 92 is open to the chamber13 at the larger end of the valve body seat. Chamber 13, in turn,communicates 5b with the pressure side of the flow passageway I2 througha port 94 so that the line pressure may act upon the outer surface ofdiaphragm 92 to force grease in chamber 9| to the longitudinal grooves89.

The passages 89 in the seating surface 88 of the plug ll are so arrangedwith respect to the tuming movement permitted the plug by the stopshoulders 82 that they will never be opened to the hire pressure duringturning movement of the p ug.

pressure, or a spring. In Figure 1, line pressurev may exert seatingpressure on the upper surface 75 of flow port 3| and also, throughopening 33, upon ing surface of the valve structure, is provided with iIt will be observed from the above that in bothsure may exert seatingpressure on the upper surface of the fiow port and also upon the portionof the larger end of the plug which surrounds diaphragm 92. It will beobserved that the downwardly facing surfaces just mentioned which arepresent in each form are greater in area than such portion .of the lowersurface of the flow port as will have un-seating pressure exertedthereon.

As is illustrated in Figures 1, and 6, the diaphragms are ofconcavo-convex form in their normal or rest position, with the convexportions extending into the pressure chamber which is open to the flowline pressure. At the same time, the convex portion is spaced from anyopposed wall of the pressure chamber.- By this arrangement, thediaphragm will always be subject to pressure from the flow, line over adiaphragm area at least as great as the area defined between the securededges of the diaphragm. For example, in Figure 1, the diaphragm 36 willalways be subject to pressure through the aperture 35 over an area ofthe diaphragm at least as great as the area defined by the aperture inthe securing ring 31. The fact that the diaphragm is of concavoconvexform with its convex portion normally extending into the pressurechamber, 'i. e., away from the lubricant chamber, also insures that thelubricant will be subject to flow line pressure throughout maximumchange of position of the diaphragm.

The terminology used in the specification is for the purpose ofdescription and not of limitation.

the scope of the invention being set forth in the claims. i

I claim:

1. A valve structure including a casing element I provided with a flowpassageway adapted to communicate with a fiow line and having atransversely arranged tapered seat, a tapered plug rotatable in the seatand provided with a flow port,

a recess in the larger end of the plug to form and will act upon theimpulse member to thereby exert pressure on the lubricant in thelubricant chamber. I

2. A valve structure according to claim 1, wherein the impulse member isa flexible diaphragm. l

3. A valve structure including a casing element provided with a flow.passageway adapted to communicate with a flow line and having atransversely arranged tapered seat, a tapered plug .ro-

tatable in the seat and provided with a flow port,

a recess in one end of .the .plug to form a lubricant chamber,lubricating passages in the seat- 7 ing surface of the valve structureadapted to communicate with the lubricant chamber, an impulse member inthe recess to.deflne a.wall of the lubricant chamber, said plugincluding a surface extending transversely of the plug axis, and facingtoward the larger end of the plug, and means to place said surface andthe impulse member in communication with the flow line so that linepressure may'act upon the impulse member to force lubricant from thelubricant chamber into the lubricating passages and may act upon saidsurface of the plug to move the latter toward the smaller end of thecasing element seat. i

4. A valve structure according to claim 3, wherein the impulse member isa flexible dia phragm.

5'. A valve structure includinga casing element provided with a fiowpassageway adapted to communicate with a fiow line and having atransversely arranged tapered seat, a tapered plug ro-' tatable in theseat and provided with a flow port, an aperture extending axially of theplug from the fiow port to the smaller end of the plug, a

lubricant chamber in the casing element at the smaller end of the plug,lubricating passages in the seating surface of the'valve structureadapted to communicate with the lubricant chamber,

an impulse member in the aperture to deflne a wall of the lubricantchamber and adapted to be acted upon byline pressure in the plug flowport to force lubricant into the lubricating passage, said plugincluding a surface extending transversely of its axis and facing towardthe larger end of the plug and which will be subject end of the valve toforce it to seated position i to line .pressure to force the plug toseated position.

6..A valve structur according to claim 5,

wherein the impulse member is a flexible diaphragm. 1

- FRANK H. MUELLER.

